Drinking straw dispenser



April 15, 1941. E, c, ARNQLD 2,238,845

DRINKING STRAW DISPENSER Filed April 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l 23 Inventor Elmer C A'rna 1% By fizwaoz ih Attorney April 15, 1941. E. c. ARNOLD DRINKING STRAW DISPENSER Filed April 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIJIIJ YIIII'I'.

ZZ mer 6'42? 221 A itorney Patented Apr. 15, 1941 DRINKING STRAW DISPENSER Elmer 0. Arnold, Bedford, Ind, assignor of onehalf to Carl Chambers, Bedford, Ind.

Application April 16, 1940, Serial No. 329,970

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a drinking straw dispenser, the general object of the invention being to provide a container having a roller therein which when turned will dispense a straw each time it is turned so that one can secure a straw simply by turning the roller, the container keeping the straws in a sanitary condition.

A further object is to provide a straw dispenser of this character which may be constructed as an individual unit or as a built in part of a bottle cooler.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a front view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig ure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view with parts in section.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear view.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary end view showing the ratchet means for rotating the roller.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the roller.

Figure 8 is a view of the flap member.

In these drawings the letter A indicates a casing which is divided by a longitudinally extending partition I and a transversely extending partion 2 into a front chamber 3, a rear chamber 4 and a small end chamber 5'. The front wall of the casing curves downwardly and rearwardly to the lower edge of the partition I and a cover member 5 removably fits over the top of the easing so that by removing this cover member access to the three chambers can be had. A vertically arranged and elongated window 6 is arranged in the front wall of the casing so that straws can be seen in said chamber 3 so that one can tell when the supply needs replenishing. Front and rear curved members I and 8 form a substantially circular chamber at the lower part of the front chamber 3 and which is formed with an upper inlet slot and a lower outlet slot with the upper portions of the members I and 8 sloping downwardly and toward the inlet slot so that the straws will gravitate into the circular chamber through said slot.

A roller 9 is rotatably arranged in the circular chamber by having its pintles Ill journaled in an end of the casing and in the partition 2 and said roller is formed with a longitudinally extending groove H for receiving a straw. An arm i2 is attached to the pintle which passes through the partition 2 and a spring l3 has one end connected with the arm and the other end to a part of the partition, within the end chamber and this spring acts to hold the parts in a position with the groove of the roller uppermost and ready to receive a straw passing through the inlet slot of the circular chamber. A lever 44 is connected to the projecting end of the other pintle. Thus when a straw is desired the lever is pressed downwardly by the finger so that the roller is rotated against the action of the spring l3 to give the roller a half revolution and when this is done the straw in the groove l I of the roller will be carried around to the bottom of the circular chamber so that the straw will drop from the groove through the outlet slot and upon the curved fingers 2U projecting from the lower part of the casing I and which are so arranged that one can pick up the straw from these fingers through the opening formed by terminating the front wall of the casing slightly below the circular chamber or the lower end of the part 1.

A flap-like member 2| is pivoted between the partition 2 and the end wall of the casing and normally rests upon the rear wall of the inlet slot, as shown in Figure 2. The roller is formed with the pins 22 which will engage the member 2| so as to partly lift the same and thus the straws are agitated and caused to properly feed downwardly into the groove of the roller.

Openings 23 are formed in the rear wall of the casing and in the lower edge of the partition wall I so that paper bottle covers placed in the chamber 4 can be removed through the opening 24 which is formed by terminating the lower edge of the partition I upwardly from the lower part of the rear wall of the casing which slopes forwardly as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

I provide a flange 25 around the cover member and insert a filling 26 of sponge material which is held in place by the screen 21. Thus bottles can be placed on the cover member while securing a straw from the device and the sponge member will absorb drippings from the bottles and the space formed by the flange may be drained through a tube 28 which may be connected with a cooler for bottled goods. The device may be connected with the cooler by the wire clips 29, which hold the device in front of the cooler or to one side thereof.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A straw dispensing device comprising a casing having its bottom open, front and rear bottom forming members in the lower part of the casing above the open bottom thereof, each memher having a vertically arranged intermediate bowed part, a top part sloping upwardly and outwardly from the upper edge of the curved part and a lower portion extending outwardly from the lower edge of the curved portion, the upper and lower parts of the front member having their outer edges connected with the front wall of 'the casing and the upper and lower parts of the rear member having their edges connected with the rear wall of the casing, the curved invention, what is members being spaced apart and bowing in opposite directions to form a substantially circular chamber having an inlet opening at its top and an outlet opening at its bottom, a roller passing through the chamber formed by the bowed'parts and of considerable lessdiameter than the chamber formed by such bowed parts, said roller having a longitudinally extending groove therein for receiving a straw passing through the inlet opening, a flap-like member pivoted to the side walls of the casing slightly above the upper portion of the rear member and having a part normally resting against the rear wall of the inlet opening and a pin projecting from the circumference of the roller and moving in the space between the roller and the walls of the chamber and engaging the lower edge of the flap-like member when the roller has been rotated to a certain point, whereby the flap-like member is lifted and then dropped to agitate the straws in the casing, spring means for normally holding the roller with its groove uppermost and a handle connected with the roller for rotating thesame.

ELMER C. ARNOLD. 

